Expression-controlling device for musical instruments.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.-

No 822,098.- v

, A 0. s. BURTON. EXPRESSION CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APBLIUATION FILED AUG.1.1904.

' 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

' Invenfior No. 822,098. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

0. S. BURTON. EXPRESSION CONTROLLING, DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIGAT ION FILED AUG. 1.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z ,7, Ox WNWKA CHAR-LES S. BURTON, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

EXFRESSION-OONTRQLLENG DEVFCE FOR MUSBGAL INSTRUMENTS;

To (all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. BURTON, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Oak ':Park,' in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expression Controlling Devices for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. Q

The purpose of this invention is to provide more efiicient means than have hitherto been commonly employed for regulating the can presslon or loudness and softness of tone in an automatic musical instrument or player. It consists of the features of construction set outin the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partly-sectional front elevation ofa portion of an automatic player embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 1s a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1.

I have shown my invention as applied to a familiar form of pneumatic action for an automatic player in which an air-chamber 1 is connected with means for maintaining therein an exhaust tension or rarefied condition of air and in which there are located primary xpneumatics 2 for operating valves '3, which ,coiitrol the. motor-pneumatics 4 for operating theistrikers 5, which operate upon the keys' of the instrument to be played in a manner ,well understood, said valves 3 being moved admitting the outer air to the primary pneu-.

matic through the tracker-ducts 7, controlled by the customary perforated sheet 32, and the eiiectof such communication of the chamber 1 with the motor-pneumatic being the collapse of the latter, causing its striker to strike the key to be soundedcorrespond ing to the p articular tracker-duct, the opening of which causes such action of the motornneumatic. It is'welli understood that the Specification of Letters Patent; Application filed August 1,1904. Serial in 219,047.

Patented May %9, 1906,

force of the blow struck by the collapse of the motor-pneumatic when it is put in communication with the chamber 1 depends upon the degree of exhaust tension in said chamber, and the purpose of my invention is to regulate this exhaust tension in a perfectly-graduated manner and at the willof the operator from the least which will cause them'otorpneumatic to strike the softest blow which will roduce any sound to the greatest which can e produced by the means provided'for that purpose. The exhaust tension is produced by customary pumping-bellows 8, en hausting the air from the main exhaust bellows or equalizer 9, which is calculated to maintain, in any chamber with which itmay be freely connected, a degree of exhaust tension measured by the tension of the spring 10, which operates to keep said receiving-bellows distended and resists its collapse, which the action of the chamberstends to cause. The'equalizer or main exhaust-bellows 9 is in communication with the air-chamber .1-

through a passage 11 in the foundationboard 12, on the under side of which the bellows 9 is mounted and which forms one side of the bellows 9 directly under the chamber 1and from said pneumatic 13 there is an open throat 14 through the foundation-board which leads up into said chamber 1-. At the upper side of the port 15, by which the passage 11 communicates with the pneumatic 13, and within the passage 1 1 there is a valve 16, which seats -downwardly to close said mouth 15 and is operatively related to the vi brating'leaf 18 of the pneumatic 13 through the medium of a lever 19, pivoted so as to cause the valve 16 to be drawn to its seat by the collapse of the pneumatic. Said vibrating leaf is ex osed to the action of a tension spring 20, w ich to the extent'of its tension tends to hold the pneumatic 13 expanded, and thereby to leave the valve free to' move oil itsseat at the port 15 for passage of air inwardthat is, toward the chamber 1. The

result, however, of opening communication from the bellows 9 to the pneumatic 13 is may be derived leaf vibratin which exten s through the s 20 and'is, .5

to collapse the pneumatic, and such collapse seats the valve 16. It will be seen, therefore, that the tension of the s ring 20 determines the exhaust tension whic can be produced in the chamber 1 by means of its communication with the exhaust-bellows or equalizer 9, and that any admission of air to the chamber 1 through the motor-pneumat-' ics when they are brought into action for sounding a note by tending to diminish the exhaust tension in thechambcr 1 causes the valve to 0 en just until the exhaust tension is restore to the degree determined by the spring 20, and thus in the continuous operatlon of the instrument for playing the valve 16 will vibrate on and ofl its seat, barely o ening and closing as the air is drawn into t e chamber 1 from the motorneumatics in performing their function.

Any means by which the tension of the spring 20 can be put under the control of the operator will ut under his control also the force b -whic the motorneumatics oper ate an 'the instrument, as bass and treble, and the muscular effort necessary to do this if it involved tightening and holding at any desired tension a spring sufliciently strong to induce the necessary maximum tension in the chamber 1- might be quite severe and might constitute a practical objection to such devices.

To avoid this difficulty, therefore, I provide means for utilizin the pneumatic force which from the exhaust-bellows 9 to the tensioning of the spring 20, and for this purpose I employ'what 1 term an ex-' pressionneumat1c" 21, which is mountedabove a ed cross-bar 22 and hasits u per and connected to the 0 23,

a stop thereon rovided at the upper end wit e spring'as the rod is drawn or compressing t down, which will be effected by the collapse of the expression-pneumatic. This ex ression-pneumatic is in communication wit the exhaust-bellows 9 by a duct 25, which leads into said expression-pneumatic through the oscillating or vibrating leaf of the latter. Its

mouth at the inner slde of'said leaf within the expression-pneumatic is closed by a valve 26, whose stem extends out through the leaf and is connected-"with a stop-rod 27, surmounted by a button 28 in proper osition to be depressed by the operator. spring 29 within the expression-pneumatic tends to strike the keys 0 the instrument. Any mechanical connections may be em- 'for hold the valve 26 seated. When the operator depresses the stop-button, the valve 26 will be initially forced off its seat; but the result 0 etch opening of the valve being to expose the motor-pneumatic to the exhaust I scends it carries the valve 26 away from the end of the stop-rod 27, permitting the spring 29 to close the valve 31. Whatever movement thev upper leaf of the expression-bellows has made while the valve was open will have compressed the spring 20 and to the ex tent of such compression increased the tension operating to hold the pneumatic 13 expanded and to determine the exhaust tension operative in the chamber 1, and if the o erator continues to depress the button 28 t e moving leaf of-the expression-pneumatic will continue to descend, said pneumatic being closed by the suction from the bellows 9; but Wherever the operator ceases to depress the stop-button, at that point the collapse of the ex ression-pneumatic ceases and the tension of the spring 20 is thereby correctly determined b the position at which the operator holds tge button 28, but Without imposing upon the operator the necessity for the muscular exertlon required to thus tension the. spring, this action being the expression-pneumatic, w ch may be made of sufiicient area to produce any desired tension in a spring of any desired capacity. If the expression-pneumatic were absolutely air-tight, it would remain collapsed to the extent resulting from any depression of the button-28 and the button would not follow the operators finger upward for dior leak-port being provided in the expression neumatic" it will fill from the outer air w enever the valve 26 is seated, as it will be instantly upon the operators relieving th pressure upon the button 28. A simple rt, suc as is common and familiar e pu ose in primary pneumatics in this class of evices, may be employed at any convenient point but since the expressionpneumatic may sometimes be of considerable size and since it should beadapted to become inflated uickly, and thereby adapted to effect'rapid changes of expression, I prefer to make a leak-port or vent 30 in the vibrating leaf of the expression-pneumatic of considerable size; but it is prevented from causing excessive Waste of alriby means of a throttlevalve 31, which is connected to the valve 26, so that when the valve 26 is seated the valve 31 is off its seat and the leak-port 30 is open.

erformed by I re saaoes permitting the expressionepneumatic to fill quickly for expansion; but when the valve 26 is forced 'ol'l' its seat by depression of the button 28 the valve 31 is moved toward its seat; In practice any quick depression of the stop-button 28 will open the valve 26 enough to completely close the valve 31 before the collapse of the pneumatic overtakes the valve 26, and in practice, therefore, a very free vent may be made through the leak-port 30 without any continuous waste of air resulting therefrom.

.l claimv 1. An automatic musical instrument or player having pneumatically-operated playing devices and an air-chamber from which is derived the pneumatic tension for operating said devices; a pneumaticallypperated valve for governing the tension, means for causing yielding resistance to its action, a pneumatic operatively connected with said means for modifying the resistance by collapse and expansion of the pneumatic, and means for gov-' erning the collapse and expansion of said pneumatic at will.

2. An automatic musical instrument or player having pneumatically-operated playing devices and an airchamber from which is derived the pneumatic tension for operating said devices and; a pneumatically-operated valve for governing the tension; means for causing yielding resistance to its action; a pneumatic operatively connected with said means for modifying the resistance by collapse and expansion of the pneumatic; avalve which controls said pneumatic and a stop for operatin said valve will.

3. An automatic musical instrument or player having pneumatically-operated playmg devices and an air-chamber from whichisderived the pneumatic tension for operating said devices; a pneumaticallypperated valve for governing t ietension; means for causing yielding resistance to its action; a pneumatic operatively connected with said means for modifying the resistance by collapse and eX- pansion ot' the pneumatic; a valve which don trols said pneumatic; a stop for operating said valve at will, said valve bein mounted on the movable wall of the pneumatic and its opening movement being in the same direction as the collapsing movement of said mov ing wall. i i

4. An automatic vmusical instrument or player comprising, in combination with an exhaust-bellows or equalizer, an air-chamber vin communication therewith; motor-pneumatics which are exhausted into said airchamber; a pneumatic which is at all timesexposed to the exhaust tension of said airme an matic for being seated by the action or" the latter which is caused by the exhaust tension of the air-cha1nber; means for yieldingly resisting such action; a pneumatic which communicates with the exhaust-bellows having its moving wall connected with said means for yielding resistance adapted for varying said resistance by its movement; a valve which controls the communication of the bellows with said last-mentioned pneumatic by moving relatively to said moving wall, and means for so moving it whosemovement for opening the valve is in the same direction as vthe movement of said wall caused by such opening.

5. An automatic musical instrument or player comprising, in combination with an exhaust-bellows, an air-chamber communicating therewith and motor-Pneumatics for operating the playing devices which are actuated for such operation by communication with the air chamber; a pneumatic which constitutes part of the air-passage from the bellows to the air-chamber; a valve operatively related to the pneumatic for closing such passage when the pneumatic collapses; a spring which yieldingly resi sts such collapse; a second pneumatic having its moving wall connected with the spring for tensioning the latter when said second pneumatic collapses, said second pneumatic having communication through its moving wall'with the ex h aus tbellows; avalve which controls such communication adapted to be moved oil its seat in the direction in which the moving wall moves in the collapse of the pneumatic, and a stop device for forcing the valve of]? its seat adaptedto be moved to follow up the collapsing movement of said moving wall.

6. An automatic musical instrument comprising, in combination with an exhaust-bellows, an air-chamber in co]nmunication with the bellows; motor-pneumatics for operating the playing devices deriving their action by communication with said air-chamber; a pneumatic which constitutes part of the passsage of communication between the exhaust bellows-and the air-chamber; a valve in said passage which is closed by the collapse of the pneumatic; a spring which yieldingly resists such collapse; a second pneumatic connected with said spring for tensioning the same when said second pneumatic collapses,.said second pneumatic having communication through its moving wall with the exhaust-bellows; a

valve which controls said communication mounted on and carried by the moving wall and adapted to be moved :lor opening in the direction in which the moving wall moves in the collapse of the pneumatic, said second pneumatic having a leak-port; a valve for closing such lealcport so connected to the valve which controls communication of said pneumatic with the exhaust-bellows as to be my hand, in the presence of two Witnesses, at seateddwlifn tlllle llatter vailve is opelzied ald Chicag0,'I1lin0is, this 11th day of June, 1904. 0 ene w en t e atter Va ve is seate an a stghp device for opening said latter valve 4 CHAS U 5 adapted to follow upthe movement. of said In presence 0fvalve with the moving wall-of the pneumatic. FRED. G. Flsclmlg, t

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set J. S. ABBOTT. 

